The government's food standards agency says this is not considered a risk and there is no food safety reason to remove Thai chicken from shops.

What about handling chicken meat, in shops for instance?

The risk at present is deemed very low. The only raw chicken still on sale dates from before the reported outbreak in Thailand. All imports of raw meat from January 1 are now banned. The WHO says the virus can survive indefinitely in frozen material. Officials are also nervous of uncooked leftovers being fed to poultry here and spreading the disease.

So how do people catch avian flu?

By close contact with birds, especially on farms and live animal markets.

Can it spread between humans?

There is no evidence that this latest flu has. But the potential is there. Birds, animals and humans can turn into gene "mixing vessels" transmogrifying strains from different types of flu virus into a virulent person-to-person disease threatening global pandemics.

Culling Hong Kong's entire poultry population in 1997 probably averted a pandemic, but six people died and 12 others fell ill. In the Netherlands last year a vet died and 83 other people fell ill as flocks were culled.

Is there a vaccine?

Trials have been conducted against similar avian flus. The government's Health Protection Agency is assisting the WHO in developing vaccines

Can we still travel to Thailand?

There are no plans yet to advise against it but this could change if person-to-person transmission occurs.

Would the health authorities spot avian flu if it arrived in this country?